(formerly Analytical Adam) Jewish male who tries to share some of the ideas of the bible who is an accountant who is sharing some of his experiences in his day to day life currently working for an Egyptian company and a Greek company. Not what I thought growing up. Single and in my late 30's. Also looking for my helpmate although a little shy. Any comments email is: alk0713@yahoo.com

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Sunday, January 06, 2013

Father avoided draft with religious study to be clergy.

Very disappointed to learn this although it explains a lot. My father was born in 1946 and last week from being on line it occurred to me from reading about Rush Limbaugh and his avoidance of the draft that my father being born in 1946 would have been subjected to the draft. Has never mentioned it my whole life and thought that his year of birth was already passed that time but hit me last week that this wasn't the case. So I decided to call him last week and ask him. Which I did! What did I find out. I first asked him if he was exempt because of his one eye that is very bad. Over -10 myopia. Asked him and told me he got out because he used the excuse that he was studying for the clergy which for Jews would be to be a Rabbi and/or doing some religious service. Since know nothing of this it was likely just a sham. And the way my father said it didn't sound it was sincere just to get out of being drafted.It hit me why my father loves Rabbis so much. It now makes sense. Nothing to do with God. Used them and hiding behind religious to get exempted from what many men had to do. Was this common with fathers so called "religious friends" as well? I find it disturbing as my father didn't even want to waste any time with this which if it was because of his eye sight he would have to go thorough the whole process and he told me that he didn't have to go through it.

It gave my father a big competitive advantage over other men. Who served. He spent in his 20's getting ahead in his career and got married in 1972 (when he was 26) and had me in 1973. My former landlord served 4 years and 2 years in the reserve. To be fair some employees may have known and didn't care either. My father has had his elite friends who got away with this like he did and in his case used religion for it.To this day this is what he uses religion for. From what I can see. Which he may need to get away with doing something else that everyone else has to do and use God as the excuse. The problem is it is taking God's name in vain. To be fair a draft is very harsh and the bible was not for just forcing men to fight wars and they had to want to on their own merit. Having said that though to use a false reason of God to get out of something other men you're age had to do is not the right approach to this as those who didn't have connection to a Rabbi had to serve. It makes God out to be someone that certain groups should get special favors and that is not what God is about. My mother must have known this as well As her older brother did serve for a period of time which I think was fairly short but did serve on some role. Yet didn't bother my mother that my father was getting ahead and had a tremendous advantage that other men his age were in Vietnam. This has really upset me about my parents as overall I don't like what they stand for (and always preached different then what they do which is part of what I don't like about them) but this adds another layer and element to it in using religion to get out of the draft and connection to a Rabbi who WENT ALONG WITH THIS. Who am I to say something since I wasn't in this situation? OK. Fair enough. To be honest if this happened in my early 20's I am not sure would have and even could have run to a Rabbi to get out of it. Maybe my father would have got me out of it without even myself being involved which even so it shows how corrupt these male Rabbis are a few dollars and you could do anything. Certainly I will say a year after I graduated (which never really worked until after college for the most part partly due to my controlling parents and in a bad way) didn't like using religion to get out of things. It could have been out of my control since I had little money at this point. The point is though father (and his father, my Grandfather) weren't raised properly. That this culture views using religion to get out of something like this that it isn't just Judaism but still. It fits many of the stereotypes that people have of Jews. That you use religion as a political group to get out of doing things that everyone else has to do rightly or wrongly but why should you be different then someone else.In addition it causes hatred between Jews and legitimate gripes against Orthodox Jews As this that my father did could only be done someone who either he or his father knows a Rabbi. Many Jews don't and/or can't and the Rabbis themselves know they can't exempt everyone so they know other Jewish men will be going while they tell someone will use this as an excuse. And my father has sort of been part of Modern Orthodoxy for whatever that is worth. Which despite what people think they are just as corrupt as other Rabbis. Anyway that is the end of this post which very upset to learn this and don't know where I go from here as at this point am a man alone learning disturbing things about my own family.